By Fire and Steel - The History of the British Infantry Weapon: Ep 8 – The L1A1 SLR

The SLR, or ‘Self-Loading Rifle’, saw the British Army adopt a self-loading battle rifle with a new calibre. The SLR, a licensed version of the Belgian FN FAL, was a rifle that would be used by armies around the world. Long, reliable, and possessing a twenty-round box magazine, this rifle was well liked by those who carried it. From the streets of Northern Ireland through The Troubles, to the liberation of Stanley during the Falklands War, this rifle was a workhorse throughout the Cold War, thoroughly battle-tested and remaining largely unchanged from its adoption by the British Army in the 1950s, to its phasing out in the late-1980s. In this episode we look at the impact of this rifle on the British Army, its workings, and how it performed during combat. No copyright infringement is intended.